“You you are planning to have a baby too? Make my little David an uncle before he greets the world for the first time?”
“Better believe it. I’m glad you talked Papa from calling him Shamus.”
“And I’m glad you and Jessica reminded me. When I was his and Isabelle’s mate, he told me what he wanted his son to be called. I didn’t like it then, I certainly don’t like it now.”
“So how did you finally change my stubborn father’s mind.”
“I reminded him that I alone am creating a miniature human. All he did was spill his fluids. I’m the one making lungs, bones and everything else. If I have to suffer ten months and lose my perfect figure for this next year, he has no say in his son’s name if I didn’t like it. Besides, withholding sex from that Scotsman is his poison. Keeping his mate happy is the antidote for me allowing to keep him alive. Besides, men still believe a hormonal pregnant woman isn’t an act. We girls need to keep them on a leash in event they learn the truth.”
“I’m starting to like you more and more.” Renee cackled along with the older youthful woman. “Just go easy. You might not need to worry about miscarriages much anymore, but it is still a possibility.”
“Until I balloon out and my ankles swell up, I’ve got a lot to research. My dreams are finally happening after three long centuries. I found a hidden city that hasn’t been seen even before human history was even close to recording. We were hunter-gatherers before this place was abandoned and I’ve got work to do and little to do it in. I’ve never been so excited in all my life and no one is going to stop me from living my dream. You just tell me about the book later. I’ve got thousands of homes to search and see how they lived… but… um… is it safe for me to leave? They won’t eat me will they?”
“Not anymore with my idiot in control.”
“Are you sure?” Andrea repeated carefully.
“Just leave before I punch you in the boob.” Renee absently commented, back to reading again.
Having a well earned documented reputation towards physical abuse, Andrea believed her. Taking a chance, she moved with fear in her heart thundering as she tiptoed around the grooming felines and ran away when she felt the coast was clear.
Meanwhile Renee was too engrossed learning from an experienced mother, learning tricks of the trade, tricks she realize she desperately needed to know before taking that extra step. The tome was invaluable and instructional. Renee sent a mental thanks to the long dead woman who left this journal behind.
Up top Oliver and Jake spent most of the day throwing the shield under the severe windy conditions. And for a few hours Oliver ran with the Pride, holding nothing back and that was a spectacular sight to behold. They had dreamed to run with a master longer than he could understand. Their yearning was again happily granted.
Chapter 10
In the following four days before entering FTL aboard the Dorgenox, the full planetary council of Drake Elders unanimously promised the pirate king of the entire Andromeda galaxy not to breathe a word of the city’s discovery till all the facts were uncovered. They agreed on the premise of Oliver’s heritage needing to be kept secret for a little while longer. Since the empty city was well away from any Drake nesting area and no one could get close to the vortex, it would likely be too dangerous to be around anyway and would be easily overlooked. Their promise was good enough to keep it as untouched as possible, but with Oliver’s granted permission, they started on cleaning the city to make it beautiful once more. Removing moss, dirt, dust, trim overgrowth and give the abandoned pyramid city a new look on being lived in again. Any homes that were completely barren would soon be occupied by Drake warriors and their families since the houses were prime for their use and size. A security detail would remain at all times, but be so carefully done, no one would suspect that the Drake civilization would be hiding anything.
It was rather hilarious when the Ligers filled the River Skipper along with Rose and Sparky who didn’t like how cramped the cargo area had become. There would be no breathing room had Nova decided not to fly with his master. Renee was giggling the whole way into space as Sparky grumbled without end. It would have been more cramped had Oliver not adjusted her shuttle to widen out a bit more. In the days of growth, it had widened a whole meter. Even the Flare had grown double in size, enough for Nova to lay comfortably on his side. More room that even helped out Oliver who was not small to begin with.
An interesting introduction was an understatement when the Ligers were lined up like soldiers for inspection in meeting with the entire Dorgenox crew. They were still as statues till little eleven year old Chloe ran right up to the Pride, lifted her tiny hand up for them to sniff and grabbed a handful of fur before climbing up one of the females. Chloe liked rides on Sparky, and flew at every chance, but she was surprised how smooth the feline moved. The female in question was in love with the youth and missed children climbing over her as the Queen’s children often did as they grew up and taken on their own Pride if they took the Warrior’s Oath and earned rank through great an honorable deeds. Not all warriors earned a Pride, but it didn’t stop her from loving Chloe and her fit of giggles.
But there became a problem. An issue of space… or lack thereof.
It was that night that they were underway and after a long and exhausting day Oliver and Renee were ready for bed.
So too was the Pride.
Bad news…
They all wanted to sleep together with Oliver and Renee. In the same bed. Renee’s bedroom was large, but not enough for twelve giant cats all about as tall as she is standing and them on all fours. They didn’t realize it till then, but each night when Renee and Oliver slept in the Flare, the Pride had all slept tightly around the fighter. Except for those who changed shifts to make sure no danger approached their master and his mate.
The matter was brought to the captain’s attention when Nova and the others would not take no for an answer. It was their duty to ensure the safety and well being of their masters. Jake was completely tickled while Renee was ticked. His solution was to repurpose the private flight deck to second as the new quarters for them all, including an adjoining door for where Sparky and Rose to transfer their nest. Renee protested that she would be on the other side of the ship if there was a medical emergency and time would be wasted when she specifically had her room connected to the med bay for just that reason. Jake admitted it was a sacrifice, but the ninth floor was mainly reserved for two primary flight decks that must remain available at all times. The private one where the Flare, River Skipper and three Seekers was the only space large enough to alter for their new space needs. He also said that most emergencies makes her leave the med bay anyway and the elevator systems were roughly the same in regards to speed to reach the other levels and areas most frequented. She didn’t like it, but accepted the truth of that logic.
The truly excited one was Sparky as it meant they would room closer together.
Captain Dorgen worked with the ship and altered the private flight deck to rearrange it’s corner into a large living space complete with a large communal bathroom for human and not after learning Ligers loved the water and could use their armor to work soap into their fur to clean themselves and even use a standard Drake toilet or go to the forest to relieve themselves. It took about a full day to make a to new bedrooms and a bath along with a seating area to watch the holo-screen for news and vids.
Renee’s tune changed that first time everyone climbed into bed together. The Pride left them alone to make love, but after, every single one of them gathered on the enlarged bed for sleep. It was a little warm with all the large bodies, including Oliver, but it was oddly serene and peaceful. Having Sparky not ten meters away also made for a sense of security and for the first time in weeks from being rescued from the mercs she had no nightmares. Not even a bad thought occurred. She had slept soundly surrounded by soft and pleasant fur.
Sadly she was awoken by a rough tongue up in her armpit. She realized sleep was s
o good everyone but the top female was already gone and she was telling her to get up. Sparky at the door thought it was retribution for her laughing during the trip back to space from Drakken Prime with her laughing at his cramped misery.
Oliver got back to work on the Gravity Forge project and Renee returned to her own in genetics.
A routine of sorts was established soon enough. The Ligers, when allowed to explore, liked the second floor forest greatly. Oliver and Renee worked separately in the day. Sometimes she was needed as medic, but most was spent in her private and sterile lab. Also Oliver spent each morning honing swordsmanship, played Zalie to practice with his Hunter brothers. Sometimes played Zero Ball too.
For meals, Oliver would fish one Piranha and prepare it for the two of them, but the Ligers played with the deadly carnivorous fish before eventually each singling out one grey scaled, meter long fish with sharp teeth and a deadly bite. The cats had their fun before having a meal. Each needed about one Piranha sized Beast every other day. They could eat a quarter of their weight in a sitting, but would no need to eat again for about two or three weeks if they gorged.
Five days into FTL Jake Dorgen’s voice connected to Oliver’s com as he was sitting beside Jacob Wrench working together on the Gravity Forge carefully connecting delicate gravimetric strips to the inner walls of the third of four shells. He didn’t tap his ear till Jacob gave the thumbs up that the wire thin strip was put properly in place per Oliver’s again revised schematics. “Sorry, Captain. I was doing delicate work.”
“It can wait, Lad. You need to come to the bridge right away.”
Oliver felt a shiver of fear and Nova as well as the rest of the Pride all lifted their big heads to look at him. “Jake? What is it? Why do you sound worried?”
“Bridge. Now.” The tone was flat.
Fearing the worst he sent his thoughts to the bridge as he reached the elevator to already find a lift at the ready. He found many minds on the bridge, but something blocked the minds and found it was Sparky, but the Drake didn’t respond. It was like a telepathic net he couldn’t circumvent. The door opened and left only enough room for Nova and three more to fit before shooting up and around the network of tunnels to reach the Bridge. It would have been a straight shot had there been space to still work in Jacob’s workshop, but the new Gravity Forge was proving to be much too big to fit down there in the power room.
As the bridge went ‘ding!’ Oliver jumped so hard he hit his head when there came “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Nova roared and the threat in it was unmistakable, but even that didn’t stop everyone from laughing so hard many grew red in the face.
The head injury was pushed aside as he noticed everyone most important to him laughing and wearing bright pointy hats. Jake’s laugh was loudest after Oliver’s reaction and how he kissed the elevator’s ceiling with his scalp. Finding his beautiful woman slapping her chest to breathe beside Jessica and Andrea almost put a smile on his face, but he was too confused. “What…”
It only make the bridge laugh harder.
Renee eventually came forward wearing the sexy Solarian wisps of clothes, there her arms wove around his neck and smiled with still unreleased giggles. “It’s your birthday, Idiot. You’ve been so busy you didn’t notice us making preparations for it. It isn’t easy with her around me most of the time.” He pointedly looked to the alpha female with her who Oliver didn’t think clearly enough to try and look through her eyes. “Today marks one year since we pulled your ass out of that tumor, looking like a damn giant skeleton in skin. It marks the day you came into our lives like a fucking Keptl Goliath.”
“Be nice!” Jessica slapped her bare freckled shoulder lightly and Renee let go of him to also stick out her tongue at her pale faced and auburn haired aunt. “He became part of this family.” She corrected with a flip of her middle finger at the insulting pink tongue aimed in her direction. Jessica gave him a warm and loving hug. “Happy birthday, Oliver. And before you say you don’t know when you were born exactly, when you slid out of that membrane… to me that constitutes a birth.”
“Aye, Lad, yer officially a year old back on Earth as of ten minutes ago.” Jake said as he came up and slapped his back with more force than necessary. “Never had a toddler been through half as much as ye.”
Surprisingly Vanessa the ship’s cook came up next and poked Oliver in the center of the chest. “Do you know how hard it was to make a cake out of Beasts? If not, let me tell you. It is a royal pain in my ass. I’ve never struggled to make a delicious meal and I’ve been a five star chef for three hundred and twenty three years. Since I graduated at sixteen from cooking school. Renee told me you got really ill once with a bite of bread since you can’t process complex Carbs so making a delicious cake was not going to happen.” She poked him again, but with a smile this time. “So I slaved over raw Piranha for weeks trying to make you something sweet. I had to dispose of too many carcasses to count, but…” she stepped away and lifted a flourishing arm and the crowd moved away to show off a large, blue frosted cake topped with a whining baby made of plastic.
It was the decoration that really made Oliver laugh. “You all did this for me?”
“Sure as hell didn’t do it for me.” Vanessa took his hand and dragged him over to the enormous birthday cake able to feed everyone twice over. Ready to cut it was her mate. Behind them Chloe was holding baby Taylor wearing a cheeky grin. Vanessa lifted her hand and created a small bundle of electricity to light the single wax candle. “It’s tradition to make a wish before blowing out the candle.” She prompted when he didn’t know what to do so overwhelmed by everyone.
“If I have to make a wish it would be we all come together every year if our paths ever divert. I want nothing else except good friends to stand with me forever.”
“Well said, Lad, but yer supposed to keep it private.”
“Why? Some of you are telepathic and it wouldn’t be fair if the others didn’t hear.”
“Hmmm. Point taken. Still, I too hope to do this forever. It’ll be a good start to our own tradition. What say ye, Ye Dogs?!”
“Aye aye!” the bridge yelled and busted out in bubbly laughs.
The cake was delicious to Oliver and Renee, but the others didn’t find it entirely unpleasant, but hardly as good as what they were used to. The Hunters liked it well enough. There were no leftovers when Nova and the whole Pride were offered the cake.
Presents were given by some. Stephanie made a picture album using an antique book from the early twenty first century and made paper to print pictures on and slid the memories in the clear sleeves. Most was about him and Renee, but quite a few were from the rest of the crew holding up posters telling how glad they were he was found. Little trinkets were also made. Jake though came through with a future gift for his future grandchildren, a little action figure he had back a millennia ago when he was a child. He was sorely grateful for all the kindness given to a day he didn’t even think about.
The one thing he did reminisce on was it had been the first day he had laid eyes on the woman of his very existence.
Her present was secretly given when they got to bed and it was between her legs. He liked the silken folds best of all.
“Five minutes till we exit FTL.” Abdul told ship-wide.
Oliver looked at the Flare, complete with special new attachments, in their quarters/private docking bay. Oliver created a series of eleven miniature versions of the Flare, which he called Sun Spots. They weren’t small and most of the raw materials came from cannibalizing Deegen’s Seeker fighter. Eleven miniature golden sailboats were mostly a cockpit with an engine. Each one able to hold one of his Pride. Each Sun Spot, was electronically linked to the Flare’s controls. Whatever Oliver would do, the Sun Spots would do as well. He had yet to test in real world conditions to see if they could keep formation, but the Pride seemed to like each having their own ship to fly in and be connected to. All engine tests were good and worked, but leaving the Dorgenox’s barrier in
FTL was a sure way to drop out in the middle of nowhere for a test and be lost.
The Sun Spots though had yet to be outfitted with weapons. It was still too early though the Pride made sure to impress on their master they could press a button to fire weapons, but could not transfer their limited psionic energies to refuel their ships.
What’s more, The Sun Spots can fly separately under Oliver’s command, but they each had special locking mechanisms and a program Oliver wrote which locks them wing to wing to make a large circle the much larger Flare can enter, attach to a series of braces to lock them together so as to enter FTL together so no one was left behind.
It sure made Sparky happy not to be so cramped inside the River Skipper now that the Pride had other means to travel to and from places.
After writing the program it was a simple matter for the manufacturing systems to grow the Sun Spot hulls from Oak and for Oliver to use his vambrace to recreate smaller engines and thrusters for them to travel. Making things with his Valek was easy now with the storage function made possible by the cube. Making technology with it was faster than waiting for availability when Jacob’s talents as chief engineer took priority for maintenance.
Over a ways Stone and the others were doing one last checklist over their sailed Seeker fighters, but soon were closing them up. Oliver was busy too still working out some minor issues to one of the Sun Spots to take up the idling time.
Renee was especially jittery as she stepped out of the elevator to wink at her man. She said “I can’t believe it, but it all fit.” She lifted an azure box with a strap over her shoulder. Still she wore the enticing garments that showed off her voluptuous curves and arousing flesh all for his viewing pleasure.
And as Renee once guessed, a new trend was set by nearly the entire female persuasion aboard the ship. Jessica and Stephanie also stepped out of the elevator in near translucent shimmery straps wound around their luscious bodies. Jessica put a hand on her round hip to falsely seem upset. “I don’t know what you did to make that storage box, but I want to know.”
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